Bloomsbury ISBN 9781408 884751 £7.99 The excerpt from a Guardian review on the front cover of this book states it is ‘Extraordinary… as moving, strange and profound as Skellig’. And, I couldn’t have put it better myself! This is a truly haunting and original story; it is exquisitely written. Both the dialogue in the text and the narrative…
Penguin Random House ISBN 9780141357058 £6.99 I found this book rather a trial to engage with initially. Its clipped prose and unconventional presentation of dialogue was, I felt, rather clunky and uninviting. However, for purposes of this review I ‘stuck with it’ and found myself ultimately drawn into the plight of Alex, his Golden Ipod…
Nosy Crow Published in conjunction with the National Trust ISBN 9780857639011 £6.99 John Drawbridge is a very young page in a large Medieval Castle, and is learning to become a knight. As often happened at the time, young boys were sent to rich and influential patrons to be trained for their future role in society.…
Wide Eyed Editions ISBN 9781847808608 £14.99 Music in some form or other pervades our lives, yet for many who neither sing nor play an instrument, it remains a subject they feel they know little about. How fortunate, therefore, that 7-12 year olds can now access this excitingly ambitious introduction to the subject in a creative…
Orion Children’s Books ISBN 9781510102088 £6.99 The intriguing title and unusual packaging of this novel invites the writer into an exciting adventure that tells the story of Tash and her friend Sam’s escape from religious and political persecution in Tibet. The novel’s format of deceptively simple text and short chapters makes it an ideal class…
Bloomsbury ISBN 9781408882016 £6.99 This is Lucy Worsley’s second novel for children, and is based around the life of Queen Victoria as a child, growing up in Kensington Palace, before she is certain she will inherit the throne following the deaths of George IV and William. All the action is based on real people, such…
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers ISBN 9781510201255 £6.99 A sweetly, funny story about a boy and his dog told with great warmth, humour and empathy. It’s a typical tale of the underdog overcoming adversity, in this case the main character, Billy and his real live dog, Dog. This story will appeal to children who…
Barrington Stoke Little Gems ISBN 9781781127100 £6.99 A poignant beginning told through the eyes of Jo-Jo, but probably a scene that many children experience in the run up to Christmas day. Jo-Jo hears his Mum and Dad having a massive argument. He tries to block out the row burying his head in his pillow but…
Winning books Non-fiction 7-11 Rise Up! The Art of Protest by Jo Rippon, w/foreword by Chris Riddell and illustrated by various (Palazzo Editions Limited) Non-fiction 4-7 A Million Dots written and illustrated by Sven Völker (Cicada Books) Fiction 7-11 Through the Wall written and illustrated by Jonathan Standing (The Salariya Book Company) Fiction 4-7 The Suitcase written and illustrated by Chris Naylor-Ballesteros (Nosy Crow)…